Vedder Price is pleased to announce that Shareholder Andrew Torre has been named Chair of the Vedder Price Diversity Committee, effective immediately. Mr. Torre currently serves as Chair of the firm’s Real Estate group and as a co-chair of Vedder Price’s diverse attorneys initiative, Vedder Diverse. He succeeds Shareholder Jeanah Park, who held the position since January 2018 and will remain on the Committee.

The Vedder Price Diversity Committee ensures that efforts to promote and enhance diversity and a culture of inclusiveness remain a priority at Vedder Price. The Committee is charged with ensuring the firm reflects the rich diversity of the communities, industries and clients we serve.

“I’m honored to be elected as the next Chair of the Diversity Committee and look forward to building off of Jeanah’s incredible progress and programs she has led over the last few years,” said Mr. Torre. “We will continue to promote a culture of inclusiveness and work to advance opportunities for lawyers of all races, ethnicities, religions, genders or sexual orientations.”

Vedder Price’s recent diversity initiatives include an expanded partnership with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firm’s Pathway to Partnership Program, an expanded Diversity Scholarship program in the firm’s New York office, a partnership with Chicago Innovation’s Women Mentoring Co-op and the launch of a New Parent Attorney Mentoring Program, among supporting many organizations committed to promoting diversity and inclusion.

“The Diversity Committee has worked to strengthen our diverse programming over the years and we strive to create new, innovative ideas to push the envelope in law firm diversity to help better serve our clients and advance their goals,” said Ms. Park. “I’m excited for Andy’s vision as he takes us into this next chapter of diversity initiatives at the firm.”

“Diversity and inclusion are core to the Vedder culture, and we are focused on expanding diversity in our legal and staff teams,” said Michael A. Nemeroff, President and CEO of Vedder Price. “We look forward to working with Andy in his leadership role of an integral pillar of the firm.”

Mr. Torre has been with the firm since 2011. He counsels institutional and commercial clients in a variety of real estate matters, including the acquisition, disposition, leasing, development and financing of numerous types of real estate assets. In addition to his transactional practice, Mr. Torre has also represented clients in connection with various commercial real estate litigation matters.

In addition to his legal work, Mr. Torre is active in the community. He serves as a mentor to the Latinx Law Students Association of the University of Chicago Law School. He also serves as a Member of the Hispanic National Bar Association and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. He is of Cuban and Spanish descent and is fluent in Spanish.

Vedder Price announced today that Trevor Wood has joined the firm as a Finance & Transactions Partner in the firm’s London office. Mr. Wood previously served as a partner in Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s Finance group.

With over 25 years of experience, Mr. Wood brings his robust finance practice and an impressive portfolio to Vedder Price. “Our London corporate and finance practice has been a strategic growth target for us,” said Michael A. Nemeroff, President and CEO of Vedder Price. “Trevor adds further depth and capabilities to our full-service corporate and finance practice in the UK, complements our U.S. business and provides additional leveraged finance support for our UK private equity practice.”

Mr. Wood practices in the area of finance law, with an emphasis on emerging markets. He advises on complex secured and unsecured financing matters for clients from many countries and industries, including banks, funds and other financial institutions, mezzanine providers, agents and trustees, and sponsors and borrowers.

Mr. Wood particularly focuses on restructuring, international trade, export and commodity finance, receivable transactions, non-performing loan sale and purchase, real estate finance, leverage and acquisition finance, project finance and general corporate finance. He is currently actively involved in advising on numerous restructurings both in the UK and internationally.

“Trevor’s experience and the variety of his practice will benefit us greatly in London,” said Derek Watson, Administrative Partner of the London office. “His skillset and clientele allow him to collaborate extensively with our private equity and commercial finance teams. We are excited to have him on board.”

“I am thrilled to continue growing my practice and serving my clients with the support of Vedder’s platform,” said Mr. Wood. “While this is a challenging time for many businesses battling economic uncertainties amidst a global pandemic, I know that my clients will benefit from the cooperative marketing, global platform and deep experience of my new colleagues.”

Mr. Wood earned First Class Honours at The College of Law, London, and earned his LL.B. with honours from London Metropolitan University.

Vedder Price announced today that Trevor Wood has joined the firm as a Finance & Transactions Partner in the firm’s London office. Mr. Wood previously served as a partner in Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s Finance group.

With over 25 years of experience, Mr. Wood brings his robust finance practice and an impressive portfolio to Vedder Price. “Our London corporate and finance practice has been a strategic growth target for us,” said Michael A. Nemeroff, President and CEO of Vedder Price. “Trevor adds further depth and capabilities to our full-service corporate and finance practice in the UK, complements our U.S. business and provides additional leveraged finance support for our UK private equity practice.”

Mr. Wood practices in the area of finance law, with an emphasis on emerging markets. He advises on complex secured and unsecured financing matters for clients from many countries and industries, including banks, funds and other financial institutions, mezzanine providers, agents and trustees, and sponsors and borrowers.

Mr. Wood particularly focuses on restructuring, international trade, export and commodity finance, receivable transactions, non-performing loan sale and purchase, real estate finance, leverage and acquisition finance, project finance and general corporate finance. He is currently actively involved in advising on numerous restructurings both in the UK and internationally.

“Trevor’s experience and the variety of his practice will benefit us greatly in London,” said Derek Watson, Administrative Partner of the London office. “His skillset and clientele allow him to collaborate extensively with our private equity and commercial finance teams. We are excited to have him on board.”

“I am thrilled to continue growing my practice and serving my clients with the support of Vedder’s platform,” said Mr. Wood. “While this is a challenging time for many businesses battling economic uncertainties amidst a global pandemic, I know that my clients will benefit from the cooperative marketing, global platform and deep experience of my new colleagues.”

Mr. Wood earned First Class Honours at The College of Law, London, and earned his LL.B. with honours from London Metropolitan University.

Vedder Price is pleased to announce that five attorneys have been named Shareholders in the firm.

“On behalf of the Executive Committee, I’d like to congratulate our new shareholders on this well-deserved achievement,” said Douglas M. Hambleton, Vedder Price Operating Shareholder. “Bryan, Josh, Caitlin, Cody and Ben are a talented group that have shown extreme dedication to the firm and its clients, evident in their commitment to personalized service during some of the toughest times for our clients in recent memory due to COVID-19. Their appointment to shareholder is a testament to our investment in the future of Vedder Price and we look forward to seeing this group further develop their practices as they become leaders of the firm.”

Bryan K. Clark, elevated from Associate and a member of the Litigation practice area in the Chicago office, has an extensive media and privacy practice that includes privacy class action defense, mobile-marketing litigation, class action TCPA litigation, copyright litigation, right of publicity litigation, data breach response, FOIA issues, reporter’s privilege issues and prepublication review. Mr. Clark has been involved in a broad range of matters in addition to media and privacy, including topics as diverse as loan enforcement and foreclosure, consumer fraud, environmental, construction and insurance law. He also has handled a variety of pro bono engagements, including work for nonprofit media entities, representation of an Illinois prisoner with multiple sclerosis, and Section 1983 civil rights litigation. Mr. Clark earned his J.D. cum laude from Washington University School of Law, and his B.J., B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Joshua A. Dunn, elevated from Associate and a member of the firm’s Litigation practice area in the New York office, counsels clients on a wide array of business and commercial disputes involving, among other things, all manner of commercial torts, breach of contract, restrictive covenant and trade secret enforcement, securities fraud, and other commercial matters in both U.S. state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration matters brought before FINRA, the American Arbitration Association and JAMS. He also has significant experience representing and defending corporations, directors and officers, registered investment advisors, and audit/accounting firms in regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings brought by the SEC, PCAOB, DOJ and various other federal and state regulators. Mr. Dunn earned his J.D. cum laude from Brooklyn Law School and his B.A. cum laude from the University of Chicago.

Caitlin C. Podbielski, elevated from Associate and a member of the firm’s Corporate practice area in the Chicago office, regularly counsels a variety of clients on matters pertaining to state and federal tax exemption, state and federal privacy and security laws, and health care regulation. She has advised a variety of tax-exempt organizations on a variety of issues related to exempt status, including eligibility and application for exemption, state solicitation and registration law compliance, and annual filings with the Internal Revenue Service. Ms. Podbielski advises provider organizations and lenders to health care organizations on a variety of regulatory issues pertaining to state provider licensing laws, federal health care program regulations and reimbursement issues, and physician employment. She also assists clients in analyzing and responding to data security incidents involving state and federal privacy laws. Ms. Podbielski earned her J.D. and Certificate in Health Law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and her B.A. cum laude from Xavier University.

Cody J. Vitello, elevated from Associate and a member of the firm’s Investment Services group in the Chicago office, concentrates his practice on legal and compliance matters for investment advisers, investment companies and unregistered vehicles, such as hedge funds, hedge fund of funds and other investment entities. With respect to unregistered companies, Mr. Vitello advises clients on fund formation and structuring matters for funds organized in the United States and abroad. He also counsels clients on matters relating to the Commodity Exchange Act. Prior to joining Vedder Price, Mr. Vitello worked at the FDIC, where he researched and analyzed federal and state bank statutes, regulations and opinions, and drafted memoranda, letters and guidelines for internal and external use. Mr. Vitello earned his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.A. magna cum laude from Western Washington University.

Benjamin O. Williams, elevated from Associate and a member of the firm’s Finance & Transactions group in the Chicago office, advises clients on a variety of transactional and general corporate matters, including advising private equity firms, family offices, independent sponsors, private companies, public companies in mergers, stock acquisitions, asset acquisitions, auctions, divestitures, 363 transactions, restructurings, leveraged and management buyouts, recapitalizations, and venture capital transactions, debt and equity offerings, private equity fund formations, joint ventures, co-investments and minority investments. Since 2019, the Legal 500 United States guide recommended Mr. Williams as a Rising Star in the United States: M&A/corporate and commercial category. Mr. Williams earned his J.D., from Northwestern University School of Law and his M.B.A. and B.S. from Northwestern University.

As published in Personnel Today on September 3, 2020 

The A-level results drama last month has placed a lot of attention on how algorithms are used in decision-making. As the use of AI expands, Esther Langdon looks at how organisations can make sure they get the best out of AI while keeping its outcomes fair.

Artificial intelligence and algorithms have been very much in the news recently, following the recent A-level results fiasco.

Stories of young students whose hopes were dashed simply because the “computer says no” made headlines for several days. The outsourcing of life-critical decisions to a machine, and the total authority of its (sometimes inexplicable) pronouncements, cut through. Put simply, it seemed unfair. The Prime Minister recognised the public outcry and called the algorithm “mutant”.

The A-level furore has arguably provided a very human face to the challenges presented by the greater use of artificial intelligence.

Many more of us are working remotely in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the world of work continues to react. Workplaces are becoming less centralised and the way we communicate and collaborate is changing. We can expect the pace of AI being used in the workplace to gather pace and momentum.

Expanding Use

Recruitment and onboarding were seen as early candidates for the use of AI in the workplace, where algorithms can be used in the screening and sorting process.

Other areas using AI include driving employee engagement, measuring employee wellbeing, tracking employee productivity, skill-gap assessment and performance management, organising workflow and so on. The list of areas where AI and people analytics is and can be used in the workplace is ever expanding.

HR practitioners need to prepare for this digital age and make sure that they are best placed to harness the power of AI at work, while not shying away from its complexities.

Confidence here is key. Many of us feel that AI is something outside of own area – be it HR, employment law, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion or performance management. There can be a tendency to shy away from engaging with the impersonal face of AI.

The Human Touch

However, artificial intelligence is just that – artificial. It needs human input to make it work and should be a servant, not a master. To make sure AI doesn’t become the master, it is vital that HR practitioners can approach AI questions with confidence.

Part of this is simply familiarity with key concepts and terminology – “artificial intelligence”, “machine learning”, “deep learning”, “network architecture”, “structured data”, “data sets”, “algorithm”, “virtual agent”, “image recognition” and so on.

Being fluent in these terms and the ideas, tools and processes behind them makes it easier for practitioners to challenge the application of AI and to frame the questions which need asking from an HR context.

This ability to scrutinise and challenge is an inherent part of using AI ethically and appropriately. As the recent A-level issues showed, impersonal AI decisions can be scrutinised and found wanting, and the government faced criticism and threats of legal action as a response.

But what would an employer’s scrutiny of a proposed application of AI before using it look like?

Accountability and transparency: As above, the starting point for any business using AI is to understand what it is asking of the AI, and precisely how this will be achieved. An employer should be able to answer questions from a candidate about its recruitment, without referring to a third-party vendor or supplier of an algorithm.

Addressing bias: The concept of a biased algorithm is now fairly well known – the concept of “bias in, bias out” or even “rubbish in, rubbish out”. Businesses must, however, move beyond a theoretical understanding of these risks to taking ownership of them and identifying the steps needed to mitigate them. Mitigation here is the key word – the risks may not be capable of elimination, in a machine any more than a human, but efforts must be made.

Employers must work with their vendors to understand how any algorithm works and “stress test” it for bias. Is the algorithm tainted with discrimination? Does it simply repeat a historic “good” outcome which is itself biased? What is its statistical accuracy? How is data sourced? Is the balance, quality and breadth of the data used good enough? Does it contain examples of each protected characteristic? How wide is the pool of people assessing the data? Are there some contexts the algorithm will not work? And so on.

Keeping AI in its place: For many of us, the idea of a wholly automated HR process – recruitment for example – would fill us with doubt, serving as a reminder that AI should be kept in its place. It is a powerful tool but one which should complement and be subject to human decision making, rather than replace it.

Keeping AI under constant review: Review and governance of AI at work needs to be continuous and meaningful.

Data protection: Increased use of AI in the workplace also brings with it complex considerations of data protection and data security, including the basic data protection principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency.

Often, personal data, and special category personal data, will be processed, and there are particular considerations in relation to automated decision making. Legal obligations and the need to foster trust and engagement with the positive uses of AI means that these issues must be front of the agenda.

Getting the most out of an AI enhanced workplace is an exciting opportunity, but one that needs engagement with the issues and possible obstacles.

Join Vedder Price Labor and Employment attorneys and our guest Diversity and Inclusion speakers in the second webinar in our Employment Law Webinar Series.

Event Details

Wednesday, September 16, 2020
9:00 a.m. PT | 11:00 a.m. CT | 12:00 p.m. ET
Online Seminar

Who should attend: These events are intended for in-house counsel and human resource professionals.

Agenda Topics

Our presentation will include an engaging discussion with Margenett Moore-Roberts, Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at Constituency Management Group, and Natasha Miller Williams, Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Ferrara Candy Company. Following the panel, we will discuss specific legal issues affecting our current workplace environment including the following topics:

Current landscape and rise of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Creating an inclusive work environment that promotes positive dialogue around the current social and political climate

Addressing social justice initiatives in the workplace

Legal implications of employee behavior and activism

Guest Speakers

Margenett Moore-Roberts
Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer
OBRIE – Office of Business Relevance, Inclusion & Equity
Constituency Management Group

Margenett leads the Office of Business Relevance, Inclusion & Equity (OBRIE) for Constituency Management Group (CMG), a division of Interpublic Group (IPG). OBRIE’s charter is to fortify CMG’s people, business, and market systems for inclusion and equity, using business relevance as the lever for deep, sustainable culture change and revenue growth. Margenett started as the Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer for Golin in May 2018 and was promoted to be Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer for Golin’s parent division, CMG. She has had remarkable impact on Golin’s inclusion and diversity efforts, most notably championing efforts to embed inclusion and diversity into the agency’s brand positioning, core leadership competencies, leadership success framework, and Golin’s approach to the market. Over the course of her career, Margenett has built a number of strategic business units from the ground up, creating real market value by transforming organizations through strategic vision, deep insight, and leadership capabilities.

 

Natasha Miller Williams
Head of Diversity & Inclusion
Ferrara Candy Company

Natasha leads Ferrara’s diversity and inclusion strategy and is responsible for implementing and monitoring programs to promote diversity and foster an open and inclusive work environment. Recognized as one of the Top 100 Executive Leaders and Top 100 Women of Influence by Diversity MBA Magazine, Natasha is a key thought leader. She has parlayed her love of mentorship and writing commentary on career planning and guidance as a contributing writer for several career and lifestyle magazines. Natasha has led keynotes, panels, and workshops for The Conference Board, Society for Human Resource Management, DiversityInc, DiversityMBA, Human Capital Institute, and many talent, inclusion and performance conferences, connecting with global audiences across industries.

CLE & HRCI Credit

Vedder Price is an accredited CLE provider in California, Illinois, and New York; and, when possible, a sponsor in Virginia.

The use of this official seal confirms that this Activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.

 

To learn more about other 2020 Vedder Works webinars, please click here.

Please join us at the following 90-minute complimentary webinar led by the
Labor & Employment attorneys of Vedder Price.

Event Details

Wednesday, October 21, 2020
9:00 a.m. PT | 11:00 a.m. CT | 12:00 p.m. ET
Online Seminar

Who should attend: These events are intended for in-house counsel and human resource professionals.

Agenda Topics

Agenda topics to be announced.

CLE & HRCI Credit

Vedder Price is an accredited CLE provider in California, Illinois, and New York; and, when possible, a sponsor in Virginia.

HRCI credit may be made available.


To learn more about other 2020 Vedder Works webinars, please click here.